Barfly: What you need to know about age and whiskey

Jeff Burkhart mixes a drink in a shaker on Thursday, Sept. 6, 2012 in Novato, Calif. He has written a book, ?Twenty Years Behind Bars,? about his experiences as a longtime bartender and nightclub owner in Marin County. (IJ photo/Frankie Frost)
Frankie Frost

"In 1985 my 16-year-old daughter traveled to Scotland and brought back a bottle of Glenmorangie that states on the sealed container '10 years old, Single Highland Malt Scotch Whisky' for her stepdad. It was to be saved for a special occasion. Unfortunately he passed away much too early in 1996 at age 46 of brain cancer, and never opened the bottle. It has traveled across country by car twice and has not always been stored to its advantage. It is to be given back to the daughter who gifted it, unopened, when I die. My questions are: Has the whisky continued to age in the bottle in a positive way? If kept in its container (we've never even seen the bottle), will its financial value increase?"

Often people confuse "age" in reference to whisky as the actual age of the whisky. A 10-year-old whisky bought 25 years ago does not equal a 35-year-old whisky. What you have is a 25-year-old bottle of 10-year-old whisky. Not very valuable, unless, the bottle is particularly rare or collectable. The important age of a whisky, as it is with most liquor, is the amount of time that it has spent in wooden barrels, not the amount of time it has been around. Because that is the only time that really matters.

Liquor stored in glass will age, eventually, but not in a good way. What happens is evaporation and oxidation, neither of which is very beneficial. Alcohol evaporates quite quickly, if you've ever put rubbing alcohol on your skin, it feels cool. That coolness is actually evaporation at work. The same is true of drinking alcohol. If stored in an unsealed container it will evaporate quickly. But even if stored in a sealed container, evaporation will still occur, just much more slowly, because most seals are not perfect. Oxidation will also take place, thanks to the imperfect seals. While destructive to wine, oxidation can also adversely affect liquor, but becomes less of a factor as the proof of the spirit increases. It is, however, always a good idea to store any spirit in a bottle with as little air as possible, especially if you plan on storing it for a long while.

Maybe you've heard the term "the angel's share?" It is the amount of spirit lost to evaporation while in the barrel, and depending on conditions can be anywhere from 1 percent to 3 percent a year. So if you have a 10-year-old Scotch, at least 10 percent and up to 30 percent of the original spirit has disappeared. Not great numbers for the accountants, but it certainly makes for a great product. It also explains why whiskies over 12 years old seem to go up in price exponentially. That's an awful lot of lost product.

So the answer to the question: "Has the whisky continued to age in the bottle in a positive way?" is no, it has not. It has not diminished noticeably, but it certainly has not gotten better.

As to wondering if its financial value will increase, the answer is also no. Glenmoragie's 10-year-old product is its entry-level Scotch. A good product, but neither rare nor unusual; it's still widely available. All of which doesn't make it valuable beyond its original price, about $39 today.

What is valuable is the story attached to that bottle of whisky. Often our experience surrounding something makes it worth more than just money. I'd suggest that my reader and her daughter share a toast to her stepfather with his Scotch. If that bottle was to be reserved for a special occasion, I can think of none more special than the two most important women in his life toasting his memory — something far more valuable than $35 or even $3,500.

Jeff Burkhart is the author of "Twenty Years Behind Bars: The Spirited Adventures of a Real Bartender" as well as an award-winning bartender at a local restaurant. Follow him at www.jeffburkhart.net and contact him at jeffb@thebarflyonline.com